The last day of the feast.

The Last Day of the Feast

John 7:31-39

When we last were in the gospel of John, Jesus was in the temple teaching.

The dispute centered around whether or not Jesus was the promised Messiah.

And a third faction, the common people, believed in Him.

His miracles convinced them that He was the Messiah.

The Pharisees were horrified.

A mob of ignorant common people were whispering that Jesus was the Messiah.

So what Jesus says next He says in the company of these officers.

He is speaking of heavenly things, but they can only relate to earthly things.

6 months: the time from the Feast of Booths to the Feast of Passover.

The path to His return to His Father runs through the place of a Skull – Golgotha.

Joh 8:21-24

They cannot come to Him in heaven, because they refused to believe in Him here on earth.

Joh 3:36

Joh 7:35-36

They skip right over His words in verse 33!

Joh 7:37-39

The feast is the Feast of Booths. We know that from Joh 7:2.

Joh 7:2-3

The Feast of Booths was an 8-day celebration at the time of the harvest.

It was a time for giving thanks to the Lord for His abundant blessings.

It was the last of the three annual pilgrimage feasts in Jerusalem.

It was a time for reflection about the blessings of God in the past,

thankfulness for them in the present, and anticipation of them in the future.

The Lord provided for their ancestors in the wilderness during their 40-year wanderings.

Lev 23:39-43
Deu 8:15-16

He gave them
bread from heaven and
life-giving water.

Israel gave thanks to the Lord for His present provision in that year’s harvest.

Deu 16:13-17

The Feast of Booths came in the month of Tishri (late September to mid-October).

The nation asked the Lord to provide abundant rain for the next year’s crops.

The Feast of Booths anticipated the great blessings of the future Messianic kingdom.

Zec 14:16-19